Lisa Nirell, author of The Mindful Marketer, How To Stay Present and Profitable in a Data-Driven World, asked me recently what role patience, deep reflection and perseverance play in agility.
I love questions like Lisa’s – they really make you think!
It may seem counter-intuitive, but deep reflection is an essential component of agility. The most agile companies take the time to think deeply about how they will respond to the changes they see in the marketplace.
They approach problems from a ground-up perspective, and are constantly questioning assumptions. They cultivate dissent and debate.
Agile companies pursue big goals that take years to achieve. They have great perseverance, defined as “continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties.”
They learn from each step in their journey, adjusting course as conditions change. Their strategies are designed for learning—take the first steps, learn, take another step, learn, and so on.
Even in a fast-changing market, agile companies may hold consistent values, culture and purpose for decades, while being very agile with respect to exactly how they accomplish that purpose.
When you encounter obstacles, think about what steps you can take today to learn and adapt.
BTW, Amazon is running a special New Year promotion today on my book, The Agility Advantage. Get it before the price goes back up! 😉
